Plane-knife guard.



R. COUTURE.

PLANE KNIFE GUARD.

APPLICATION FILED 11111.22, 1910.

Patented July 25, 1911.

inventor,

Witnesses Attorneys BO'MAIN COUTURE, OF SOMERSWORTH, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

PLAN Iii-KNIFE GUARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 25, 1911.

Application flied January 22, 1910. Serial No. 539,614.

i To all whom it may concern:

' clare that the following is a full, clear, and 10.

Be itknown that I, ROMAIN COUTURE, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residin at Somersworth, in the county of Stra 0rd, in the State of New Hampshire, United States of America, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Plane-Knife Guards; and I do hereby deexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use'the same.

The invention to be hereinafter described relates to wood working machines and more particularly to planer knife guards for such machines.

Broadly speaking, it comprises an angle plate or like support adapted to be secured' to the bed of a wood working machine adj acent the planer or other operating part, a 1

bracket pivotally connected thereto, a spring actuated post journaled in the bracket, a plurality of guard plates adapted to open fan-wise above the operating part of the machine, and a gage roller journaled on one of said guard plates and adapted to engage the surface of the work piece to regulate the extent of thespreading of the guard.

In order to more clearly disclose the construction, operation, and use of the invention, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of the present application. 1

Throughout the several figures of the drawings like reference characters designate the same parts.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device in operative position; and Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.

The main objects of the invention are to provide a simply constructed, economical, and durable guard which may be readily and quickly applied to any of the usual existing forms of the machines without making appreciable alterations.

A further object is to provide a nerd which will be automatic and positive in its action and one which will operate equally Well regardless of the character and form of the contacting surface of the work piece.

' In order to somewhat more clearly describe the invention, the word front will be used to designate that part ,of the machine at the right of the drawingsthe part from which the work piece movesand the word I rear will be used to designate that part of the machine at the left of the drawingsthe part toward which the work piece moves. Referrmg to the drawings 1n detail, 1 indlcates an angle plate, lock, or any other suitable support adapted to be solidly secured to a machine base 2 by means of screws 3 or like well known devices. To the angle plate 1 is rotatably or pivotally connected a bracket 4, the connection being infide by means of a headed rivet 5 or the 1 e. is a headed post 6 which is secured in operative position by means of a washer 9 and a cotter pin 8. On the upper projecting end of this post is rigidly secured one end of a guard plate 7 of tapered form, widening toward its opposite or free end, the rear edge of which is provided with a downwardly projecting flan e 20, for a purpose to be later disclosed. ther, and somewhat Revolubly mounted in the bracket 1 smaller, similar plates 15 and 16 are loosely.

plate and .draw it to operative position. i

The same is true, of course, of each successive plate. Thus, the guard will be spread fan-wise above the planer knife or other operating tool.

In order to effect and vary the tension of the operating spring'lO, one end is made fast to the post 6 while the other is made fast to a ratchet disk 11 journaled on the lower end of the post. The ratchet disk 11 is provided. with a handle or arm 12 by which it may be turned to vary the tension of the spring. A pawl 13 is pivotally mounted on a stud 14 projecting from the bed 2 and is adapted to engage the teeth of prevent its reverse rotop of the guard plate 7. The free and of this red is provided with a ratchet disk or wheel 24 ada ted to be engaged and. held by a pawl 25. n this way, the roller 'may be tilted to any. desired angle 'so that its edge will enga e the surface of the workpiece ad'acent t e outer end of the plate 7. The re er, of course, projects a ver sli ht distance beyond the edge of the p ate and a little above it. Thus, when a piece of wood havin erate upon, the projecting edge of so left will. practically covered by the V roller itself.

It is necessary, of course, to limit the swing of the plate 7 under the action of its spring 10. Otherwise, the lates would be swung be 0nd the edge 0 the operating tool and t e device would become useless, as a guard. To this end, the rear edge of the plate 16 is provided wlth a depending finger or dprong 19 which engages the edge of the be 2 and sojprevents further movement of the guard.

In orderto hold the guard in its operative position above the bed of the machine, it is necessary, of course, to provide some means for preventing rotation of the bracket 4 on its pivot 5. This is accomplished by beveling the inner face of the supporting arm or branch. of the angle plate 1 and mounting on the pivot 5 an oppositely beveled or wedge d1sk 26 provide with a lever handle. By turning the wedge disk in one direction it will force the bracket 4 longitudinally of its pivot 5,'drawing the pivot edge tightly into frictional en agement with the angle plate 1, thereby binding it and preventing rotation of the bracket. Reverse movement of the lever arm, of course, unwinds the head of ivot 5 and the arm of the angle plate 1 andlpermits the bracket to be swung to inoperative position, as shown by dotted lines in Fig.2.

When there is no work piece on the machine bed and the guard is in operative posi tion, the roller 17 will engage guide rail 22, and finger 19 will engage the edge of the machine bed, and the guard will be extended and spread fan-wise above the tool edge,

completely covering it. When a board or like work piece 28, of a certain width, is being passed through the machine, its edge will be engaged ,b the roller 17 and the guard will bemove rearwardly to cover only the inoperative portion of the tool edge, the rol er assuming the position indicated in width, as 27 be assed thro the ard will forced st' farther rearwar ly, as indicated in dotted. lines in Fig. 2.

It is thought that the operation and use of the invention will be clear from the preceding detailed description.

Changes may be made in the construction, arrangement, and disposition of; the several ,garts of the invention without in any way post and adapted to be opened and closed fan-wise above said cutter, and means for securing said bracket 1n operative position.

dotted lines at 28 Should a pieceofrgreater h the machine,

2. The combination with a machme having a bed and a cutter projecting above the same, of a base detachably secured to said bed, a lurality of blades pivotally secured to said base on a common p1vot and adapted to be opened and closed fan-wise above said cutter, .and means for holding said blades normally open or operative.

3. The combination with a machinehaving a bed and a cutter projecting above the same, of a base detachably secured to said bed, a pluralit of blades pivotally supported from said ase on a common pivot and adapted to be opened or closed fan-wise above said cutter, and ineansfor limiting the opening movement of the blades.

4. The combination with a machine hav-' ing a bed and a cutter projecting above the same, of a base detachably secured to said had, a plurality of blades pivotally supported from said base on a common pivot and adapted to be opened and closed fan-wise above said cutter, means for forcing said blades, normally, to o n or operative position, and means for iting the opening movement of the blades. 7

5. The combination with' a machine having a bed and a cutter projecting above the same, of a base detachably secured to said bed and a plurality of blades pivotally supported from said base on a common pivot and adapted to be opened and closed fan-wise above said cutter.

6. The combination withv a machine having a bed and a cutter projecting above the same, of a base detachably secured to said bed, a pluralit of blades pivotally support, ed from said base one common pivot and adapted to beopened-and closed fan wise 

